The Mayflower and Her Log; July 15, 1620-May 6, 1621 — Volume 5

The author reconstructs the living arrangements and food supply aboard the early seventeenth‑century transatlantic transport, detailing how cabin space was allotted with priority for women and children, how passengers and crew were billeted, and how overcrowding and leaky decks shaped life aboard. Shipboard cooking was limited, so passengers relied on preserved staples—hard biscuit, salted and smoked meats, cheese, dried fish, and beer and spirits—while occasional cooked pottage was eaten when weather allowed. Contemporary accounts and later observers are used to estimate rations, infirmity from scurvy and exposure, and the practical difficulties of provisioning and meal distribution.